Life

Hey Blogosphere.

I haven't posted recently, except for the random image, and that's mostly because I haven't been feeling very talkative lately. Or "blogative." Whatever you want to call it. The fact is, so far, it has been a lousy year for me.

Unlike many bloggers, I usually don't like to get too personal in this forum. I'm mostly a private guy, but I use my blog to share images and anecdotes about the projects I'm working on, as well as general observations about the comics biz. Today, I'm going to bend that rule a little, while I share this little piece of Photoshop art with you all...



This is a drawing of my father, James Buccellato. He passed away a couple of months ago, and that has made for a very difficult year. To put it mildly.

In the weeks since the funeral, I've reflected on everything I know about my father, and on my own relationship with him. In the final analysis, I can't say that we were extremely close, but I did love my father very much. This piece of art was an interesting challenge for me. It's really the first time I've used Photoshop in this manner; creating a digital painting from scratch. I didn't use any Photoshop trickery (it isn't a doctored photo) just drawing on my Wacom tablet, looking at photo reference, and using digital paint (whatever that is!)

I enjoyed the painting process, and I savored the time it took to complete it. It was uninterrupted time spent thinking about my dad. My only regret is that it's just pixels and doesn't truly exist like a "real" painting. I did get it printed onto canvas to see what it looks like, and I like the results, but it isn't the same. Maybe I will use it as a study for an actual oil painting in the future.

Meanwhile, I've been just trying to keep busy. A challenge unto itself. I've spent much of this year investigating job prospects and career moves. I want to change things up—abandon the freelance lifestyle and find a more collaborative environment to work in. I've also started taking courses at UCLA with the goal of getting a certificate in Advanced Graphic Design & Communications. This has been a lot of fun — very stimulating. I will tell you about it and share some of my school work in future posts.

I'm starting to feel as though things are looking up. Lately, I have been busy with work and I have some interesting job prospects. Last week was my birthday. Milestones like birthdays provide a good excuse to reevaluate and rededicate oneself. I'm staying positive and moving forward! Keep an eye on this blog, my friends, because I'll be posting some interesting news and cool artwork soon!

Thanks for reading. This was a difficult post to write, but I wanted to share the picture of my dad, and that necessitated an explanation of sorts. Next time, I'll be all business. ;)

—S